The first review is 100% correct. You can even call and talk to people for advice about how best to use the MSR gear. They are one of the backbones of the UL movement, as far as major mainstream manufacturers or retailers go.

Their stoves set the standard for me until the Snow Peak Giga came out and on the phone their staff will even talk about other companies gear with praise.

MSR's customer service, along with their parent company, Cascade Designs, has fantastic customer service. They warrantied a Sweetwater filter that started blowing water out of the side (the one they now produce under the MSR line) with no questions asked. They sent me a new filter, which has had no issues in the past year.

A friend of mine works for MSR's parent company, and that friend gave me a tour of MSR and related factories awhile back. I was in heaven the whole time. It was a thing of beauty to see outdoorsy gear still made in the US. And indeed, it is an old school place.

I'm in Seattle and have known these folks for year. They are top notch:

Once I took in an old Whisperlite that was on the fritz and thoroughly thrashed (and I was a poor college student)- the repair guy replaced everything except the topscrew...by the time I left, I had a new stove!

Once I sent in a Thermarest to Cascade Designs that I'd been sledding with. They found 18 holes but fixed the whole thing free of charge because they got such a kick out of it!

On all "normal" visits, both companies have been excellent. Like when I broke a pole, lost a weird part to a pump, etc. They are the BEST.

I have never been treated so poorly in my life. I called after my Whisperlite literally caught on fire and turned into a flame thrower. I thought that they should know that their product could be so dangerous. Their product safety manager started yelling at me and hung up on me.

It was a very bad experience to say the least. The good news was that I then replaced the Whisperlite with an Optimus Nova, the best stove ever.

MSR Customer Service is probably the most responsive of all the "large" companies out there.
on 05/12/2008 19:03:38 MDT

Rating: 5 / 5

And many of the small companies as well. I have personally have owned so many MSR/Ridgerest/Cascade Designs products that I've lost count. I also run a small program that uses a fleet of whisperlites, XGKs, Ridgerest Pads and Dromedary Bags.

Throughout my 15+ years of experience with this company, I have never been anything but pleased with the timeliness and responsiveness of their customer service department.

I have had a few complex issues...a plugged Dragonfly fuel line, a broken pole from a camprest chair and some dromedary leakages. They have all been resolved fairly and quickly. I never felt let down and I really appreciate their willingness to be helpful.

Perhaps most impressive is that now I can send an email and receive a response within 48 hours. Sometimes I'm just requesting something odd, like spare stove bags, and it still gets a rapid response.

With all the outdoor companies that I deal with in my profession, MSR rules the roost in terms of their customer service.

Times change & I hadn't been camping since all the mammoths disappeared...finally decided to start up again. Dug out my trusty MSR Whisperlite & fired it up for a test run. It worked, but had a little sideways flame jet from the preheat tube. I didn't remember it having that before...thought I should check it out. Called MSR CS and a pleasant-voiced young lady answered. The converwation went something like:

ME: My Whisperlite has a little jet of flame coming sideways from the preheat tube. I don't remember it being that way. Thought I should check it out before it emulated Chernobyl or turned Earth into a supernova or some such. Any suggestions?CS: (brightly) Sir, why don't you send it to us and we'll fix it under warranty.ME: Warranty? I think I should mention that it's over a quarter-century old.CS: Sir, all our products have a LIFETIME (her emphasis) warranty. If you've got it, it's under warranty.ME: (dumbfounded) Uh, ok. (She gave me send-it-in instructions.)

Two or three weeks later (I didn't keep track of the time), I got my response: I received a completely new Whisperlite!

MSR is owned by Cascade Designs. So, in part this review will be on them as well.

I purchased a Whisperlight International about a decade ago. About 2 years ago, the threads that mount the bottom plate in place which keeps the feet attached among other things stripped out. I contacted Cascade Designs about the problem and was told to send it to them for investigation which I did. It cost me about $4. They sent me a free replacement (not fixed or rigged up to work, but brand new with free shipping. My old one had seen very heavy use, but no questions... just a new one free.

About 1 1/2 years ago, I contacted Cascade Designs about a problem with 2 of my Platypus bladders that had both seen better days. The results were exactly the same with one exception. I asked if I should send the cap/tube with the 2 liter bladder or not since that part still worked fine and was told not to send the cap/tube, but that a cap/tube would be sent with the new 2 liter bladder. Now I have a free replacement cap/tube as well if there is ever a problem in that area. Again free shipping.

Wonderful customer service. I expected and was willing to pay for repairs in both instances, but they sent out new ones for free.